Sangkaan

Fiesta celebration in our town would simply never be complete without the observance
of the traditional civic as well as religious activities that add glamour to
the festive occasion, like for instance the Pontifical Mass. procession, parade,
discos, beauty contest and the games or sports among others.

Recently the parish and fiesta executive committee have initiated an interesting
and wholesome activity as additional highlight for our fiesta celebration.

This activity is aimed at fostering the spirit of unity and brotherhood among
the Hindanganons. It is called the SANGKAAN ground demonstration, an activity
which also plays a relevant role in reawakening among the Hindanganons the true
essence of celebrating the feast in honor of St. Michael de Archangel. This
has been started in the year 2004.

What then is SANGKAAN? The term Sangkaan comes from a Visayan term sangka which
literally means fight. The ground demonstration is conceptualized from the story
of the battle fought between St. Michael and Lucifer in order to free people
from the bondage of temptation and wickedness. Hence, the theme of Sangkaan
centers on the triumph of good and righteous over the evil.

Sangkaan is actually the Hindangaons' unique way of expressing their religiosity.
It is performed by a large group of colorfully attired dancers with their matching
props, rhythmically dancing to the tune of beaten drums or any other native
musical instruments. Prior to the dance proper is the usual dramatization of
the great fight between the good angel and the bad, which happened when Lucifer
tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit during the time when the world was just
created. The dramatization ends when St. Michael finally defeated Lucifer. At
the sound of the drum the dancers make their entrance and begin their performance
with versatility and skill. Their dance is depicting figures as ways of expressing
their gratitude to the Patron Saint for the protection and breathtaking exhibitions
through their dance. Thus the Sangkaan is really worth seeing from beginning
to end.

This activity is usually participated by DepEd (Department of Education) which
consists of the elementary and the secondary level, the religious groups, the
LGU employees and many others as long as they are Hindanganons. Each entity
has a different version of the fight and singular in their dramatization that
is why the result of the performance is splendid.

Finally, Sangkaan is now considered as one of the heritage and pride of the
Hindanganons which is worth passing to the next generation.